Saturday, August 20, 2011

Reviewed: August 18th-20th, 2011
As a gamer, there will come a day when you experience certain video games unlike any other you've played since, and will leave you with a strange impact. Glover is one of them for me. I remember long ago when I first played it on one of my friends' PlayStation One console. I didn't play much of it, because it left me a bit confounded, but from the little experience I've had with it, it was quite unique. Never had I ever had an anthropomorphic glove as a controllable character in a video game before. Many years later, feeling that I needed to revisit this game and having a full experience with it, I decided to give it a shot back in September '10 for the PlayStation One. Before having ordered it on eBay, I looked up that there were two versions of this game released a year prior to the Sony one: one for the Nintendo 64 and the other for the PC. I haven't played those two versions, so I'm not going to compare. Having beaten it two times now, and having gotten further experience with it, I thought it was a whole lot better than when I first tried it when I was little. But is it a quality title? Let's find out.

Glover's tale begins long ago in a peaceful time and place. It was a nice day in the castle, like any other, but that would last only for a short a bit. That day, in the castle, a wizard tried to concoct a spell using potions in his cauldron while using his magical gloves. But something went wrong. The necromancer incidentally used the wrong potion, which caused an explosion that made his gloves fly off of him. One of them (Glover) landed safely outside the turret window, but sadly the other glove fell inside the cauldron. But that's not all: what happens next is that the wizard turns into petrified gold and falls down into a cave. But wait, there's more: no sooner than that does the seven turret crystals get dislodged off the castle. Those crystals are what is keeping the castle fully intact. Luckily one of them landed right outside the castle, but the remaining six disappear into other realms that neighbor it. If they're not recovered in time, there's going to be trouble. But wait, there's still more: what happened to the other glove after having fallen in the cauldron is that he's become a boxing glove, consumed by pure evil. So now it is up to Glover to save the castle, return his brother to normal, and ultimately reverse the petrification curse on the wizard. But it will not be an easy task, as there are obstacles to be overcome and enemies to be faced, all ending in a bout with the other glove. He will venture in the worlds of Atlantis, Carnival, Pirates, Prehistoric, Fear, and Space.

You control the sentient four-fingered glove named Glover, who uses his middle two fingers as legs and his outer fingers as arms. That's quite a concept. Controls for this game are decent. He can run around, make jumps, and if you time it right, double jumps. Glover's also got a few tricks up his sleeves. He's also got other skills, too, most of which have got to do with controlling the ball. Now what does that have to do with the turret crystal issue that was discussed earlier, you may ask? Well, seeing as he's a magical glove, he has the power to transform the turret crystal into one of the following: a rubbery bouncy ball, a large and robust bowling ball, and a small and metallic ball berrier. What's good about the different variations is that they can be used in certain situations which suits them best. The bouncy ball is the only one that floats on water, the bowling ball sinks and can be used to break stuff, and ball berriers can be used by magnets when it comes to getting certain cards out of reach. Beware, because you're not the only one who can morph the ball, as there are a few enemies out there that can change the ball's appearance as well. You'd best be absolutely careful if it gets transformed to its original form, as it's very fragile, and if it shatters, you have to start over from either the beginning of the level or the last checkpoint you shot your ball through. With the Triangle button you can choose which perspective shot you want; whether it be the distant (default) shot, the medium shot, or the zoomed-in shot. The right analog controls the game's camera angles, as long as you're in areas that allow you to. If you're farther away from the ball, you can always press the Circle button to literally make Glover point you in the right direction. I guess he's got a strong bond with the turret crystals. Anyway, Glover can traverse the levels alone (if you feel the need to), but in order to progress to the next level you have to reach the end with the ball. This game takes place in a hub world, and each world portal will lead you to a different level, especially the bonus level which is accessed after you defeat the world boss. Glover can make drop attack by getting into his fist position and fall down quickly to the ground, where the round vibration around him can be used as an advantage, too. In each world, including the hub world, there are a numerous amount of cards in the regular levels, and if you collect all the cards in a level you earn a life, and should you collect all the cards from all three regular levels, your health capacity will increase by one. You can raise Glover's health capacity to nine if you manage to collect all the cards in all the regular levels. After the third level of each world, you will face a boss who's been transformed by the evil glove who will try to impede your progress.

\The game's soundtrack is good. It's charming and it's got a nice, playful, and lighthearted quality to it. It's got several good songs, with a few songs in the mix that are rather weak, in my opinion. The hub world is nice to listen to with its calm, relaxing sound, and the Atlantis themes are very cool. The Pirates themes are fitting and swashbuckling. The Prehistoric themes are primordial, and the Space themes sound galaxial, which is really cool. I like the Fear themes, with its various sounds, ominous music, and clever composition. The various boss and bonus themes sound cool, and some of them are better than others. I don't really like the Carnival themes much, as I find them annoying due to their circus-y like sound. But, thankfully the good beats the bad as far as the music in this game goes. The sound effects, on the other hand, are sweet. I like the sound that comes from collecting cards, and I like how the melody escalates when you collect them in a row. The sound for when Glover's brother laughs maniacally when he's turned evil in the intro is very deep, and Glover's voice isn't bad, either. I like how whenever he transforms his ball, he'll say brief phrases like "Abra-cadabra", "Kazaam", and "Wabababo". He also says another phrase, but due to how he says it, I find it hard to catch what he says. I really love how he says "Whoopee!" during certain moments when you've collected all the cards in a level or when you've finished a level. After reaching the end with the ball, Glover makes a snap sound which I find very authentic. The splash sound for whenever you jump in and out of the water is pleasant to listen to, and the rest of the sound effects are cool, too. Well, most of them (I'll get to the bird character's sounds later).

Glover's visuals are okay, considering when it come out in the console's lifespan. Glover animates smoothly, although he doesn't look like he's swinging his left arm when he's running, which looks very odd to me. I like how he has ovals for eyes and how he has a mouth. His idle animations (whether or not he's near the ball) are fun to watch, and I like his pointing animation. The butterfly flying around in the hub world is nice to look at, too, and the enemies and bosses look good, albeit aged, too. I like various each of this game's worlds are in style and look: the temple-like structure of Atlantis is appealing; the dark, stormy nature of Fear is atmospheric; and the colors of Carnival are nice. Just reading these description might make you feel that the game is visually breathtaking; it's not. In fact, this game has visual details which make it appear like it came out way early in the console's lifespan; like, for example, if a round enemy approaches you, you'll notice that only the eyes and/or glasses change position, and not the actual body. There's also the case in certain areas where walls and/or objects cannot be seen until you approach a little closer. For reasons I can't explain, there are a few times when the action will be happening at a smooth rate, while certain other times it will flow slowly. The game also doesn't look as crisp like most PlayStation One titles are. Even the introductory and ending cutscenes, which are decently rendered in 3D FMVs (full-motion videos), have a certain detail which shows its age. But despite all that, the visuals aren't bad, and there are a few touches which are nice. Each time Glover takes damage, he will get a band-aid on him, and if a ball falls off an edge, it will reappear in Glover's hand with a band-aid on it. It's a cute touch. The water effects in the surface are also nice, but what's even cooler is how it is seen underwater. When you're underwater and the camera is completely submerged, the camera gradually tilts left and right and the colors change from oceanic blue to chartreuse and violet. That's a really unique underwater effect, if I ever saw one. So, overall, while it may not as visually stunning as earlier PlayStation titles such as Pandemonium!, Croc: Legend of the Gobbos, and Spyro the Dragon, it's a game that I think is okay to look at.

Don't let these screenshots fool you, this is not a mindnumbingly easy game. I repeat, this is not a mindnumbingly easy game. It's not a deviously difficult game, either, which is a good thing, but even so, the difficulty is one of its low points for me. Now, the first time around, I had to keep the Help (i.e. showing buttons and what functions they do in various situations) on because I needed to get adjusted to the controls. On my second playthrough, I got through the game with the Help option turned off; unfortunately, any time you start or load a game, the Help is automatically on there, which can be a bit distracting for me. At first the controls can be a tad confusing, but after awhile they will become easy to accustom to. The main goal of each level is to reach the end with the ball, and in some cases it's not a problem, but in most cases it's easier said than done. Each level has obstacles which will impede the ball from passing through until Glover finds a switch. White switches can be pushed by Glover after he does a fistdrop attack, and red and yellow bull's eye switches can be turned on by the ball (there's only one of these types of switches which you'll have to rush to the end before the door closes up). Not only is Glover's fistdrop used to stun and/or kill certain enemies, but it can also be used to destroy boxes and break through ice. Glover's slow by himself, but by rolling the ball he increases a bit of speed. Other things Glover could do with the ball is use it as a trampoline by fistdropping on it, bounce it like you're dribbling a basketball (by pressing X while hanging on to the ball), slap it towards enemies and stuff (by pressing the Square button), and throw the ball, too (by pressing the Circle button). While you choose to do either of the last two options, you can choose where to aim the ball while still holding the button. The L2 shoulder button cancels any of these actions. Throughout the areas there are lives scattered about, and once you collect them you cannot do so again in these areas. Any time you collect all the cards in a level, you earn a life, but it seems to me that it's very easy to gain a lot of lives in this game. Especially during certain moments where you gather up many cards in a row. While it's not exactly mandatory to gather every single card out there, it is something that will keep you busy. Some cards are in covert portions of the levels, so search thoroughly. If there's a wall that looks broken, break it open with the bowling ball. Some of the bosses took me a bit to beat the first time around, but the second time around the majority of them were a breeze. When you return to the hub world and your health is not full, you can always have it refilled by approaching the bird character on a swing, who I swear sounds like it's both flatulating and laying an egg at the same time when you touch it (I don't even want to know). The various bonus levels after you vanquish the world's boss are nice, and they're nice to play. Basically they require you to collect as many cards as you can and reach the end before time runs out. Glover's camera is okay, but there are moments when you're on a narrow path when the camera will be positioned above you and you cannot lower it until you're off the path. Few times the camera finds itself fixed at just the oddest of angles. Yeesh, Super Mario 64 had more stable camera control than this. In the levels are also certain potions which will help you on your quest, but only for a limited time. A couple of these that come to mind are the Hercules potion, which makes Glover big and strong, and there is even a Rotor Blades potion which allows Glover momentarily fly.

It's got its few issues; the visuals are hit and miss (which is odd considering it came out in the middle of the console's lifespan), camera controls are okay, and the difficulty's a little so-so. But, for all the low points it has, the good qualities more than make up for it. The controls, which take a bit to get used to, are quite interesting and solid, and the soundtrack is done quite well. I like the various worlds' structures, and I like how such a concept was executed in such a fascinating way. I like the many different things you could do with the turret crystal, and how you change its form to not only prevent it from shattering but to also use it in certain ways to meet certain conditions. Exploring the various worlds' levels are fun, and trying to get all the cards is also fun. If you've missed some cards the first time around, you could always choose to start the level all over again from the hub world and get another shot at obtaining them all. I like replay value like that. I do wish I knew what was up with that blue bird's awkward sound effects. I haven't played the original Nintendo 64 and PC versions, so I don't know if they've made any alterations here or not (well, besides the obvious - Glover's mouth). After I finished Glover the first time, I looked up that the game got mixed reactions from gamers and critics, and I also looked up that the PlayStation One version got a negative reception from many gamers. So you mean to tell me that I got introduced to Glover through the inferior version? Oh, that's reassuring! But I don't mind, as I'm not going to let that taint my opinion on the game (even though I admit it almost happened the moment I looked that up). It's not a great game, but it's close. I researched that this game was slated to have a sequel. There were no hints in the game that implied that, but there was an internet poster (which looks beautiful, by the way) that parodied the first Jaws' movie poster. However, the sequel never emerged, and Glover was reduced to being a lone title video game hero.

Poor Glover. It's okay, we still love you. If you're interested in playing Glover, give it a go. I can't guarantee whether you'll like it or not, but I will guarantee that you'll find it a very unique experience.

Monday, August 1, 2011

Reviewed: July 31st-August 1stWhen I was little I grew up with Game Boy and PlayStation when I still lived in Italy, and the SNES and Nintendo 64 consoles whenever I visited relatives. But, I also had a bit of experience with playing video games on my PC growing up. Some games were PC originals, while other games were ports of classic titles from arcade and MegaDrive titles. Maui Mallard was one of them. Originally released for the MegaDrive (in Europe and Brazil), from what I had played when I was little, I thought it was a pretty cool game. I never finished it when I was little, but I liked the concept of turning into a ninja whenever you collected Yin Yang power. Sadly, as the years went by, computers had evolved, and my PC copy of the game could not work on newer models. Having not played the game for several years, I decided to give it another go in October '10, only for the SNES console. I looked up that the PC port was closer to the MegaDrive original than the SNES game, but that didn't bother me much. When I relived the experience of turning into a ninja, it was absolutely great. But does it hold up?

On an uncharted island, the idol Shabuhm Shabuhm has been abducted by an evil Witch Doctor. It has been said that the idol is the island's guardian, and unless it's retrieved, the island will meet its terrible, inevitable fate. While visiting the island, a "medium-boiled" detective named Maui Mallard (portrayed by Donald Duck) decides to investigate this mystery and will try to get it back for the islanders before it's too late. The last place it was seen before its disappearance was at the Mojo Mansion, and from there you will peruse and traverse various locales like a ninja training ground, a village, the inside of a volcano, and even in the Realm of the Dead. The plot itself is pretty neat, and at times it can be quite humorous and other times it can be quite dark. What baffles me the most about this SNES version is that back when it was released in North America, all allusions to Donald Duck were removed, and is just known as Maui Mallard. It doesn't make sense, as it's just mysterious to me (he looks like him, we all know it's him). But I'm thinking about it too much.This game has good play control. Maui Mallard is an action-platformer with open-ended level design (similar to how Cool Spot and Disney's The Jungle Book are). The controls can be customized in the options screen, but I choose to use the defeault controls, which admittedly feel awkward the first time around but soon become accustomed to. This game has several areas (or "levels" as the game calls them), which are all split into portions (or "stages"). The action controls are very responsive, and the jumping controls are nice, although they feel a bit loose at times. What's pretty cool about this game is that you get to play as a character who will transform into a ninja, provided you have enough Yin Yang power at your disposal. You start off as Maui Mallard, who uses a bug-shooting gun for a weapon. There's the standard bug weapon, which replenishes itself to its maximum capacity no matter how much it's used; the lightning bug, which acts as a spread gun; and there's the fire bug, which homes in on enemies. You can switch between the bug weapons via the L and R shoulder buttons, and you can even choose to combine the lightning and fire bug weapons to form up an even stronger homing shot. From the second level (Ninja Training Grounds) onward, you will be granted the ability to turn into the ninja Cold Shadow. In order to change into Maui's ninjaesque alter ego, you must collect some Yin Yang power. Cold Shadow has got many moves in his disposal than Maui does. As him you can do combo moves with your bo staff against enemies, but don't over exceed the combo too much, otherwise you'll use up some of your Yin Yang power. By holding either the L or R shoulder button as Cold Shadow, you will unleash a spinning bo staff attack on your enemies, however it will quickly deplete you of your power in the process. To be honest, as potent and cool-looking as it is, it's not exactly necessary, and it's not something I would suggest doing. I say that because while you might be attacking an enemy on one side, you may be left vulnerable to attack from the other side, and that's why I choose not to do it often. Throughout the game, there will be moments where you will have to alternate between forms in order to get through the area; Maui's the only one who can climb up ropes and vines, and Cold Shadow's the only one who can swing off of swining poles. Maui can also use his gun as propulsion underwater, and Cold Shadow can also use his bo staff as a method of climbing upward when it comes to gaps that are as long as the staff.

Maui Mallard's soundtrack is good, and much of its music is quite varied in style and sound. Each of the music gives a lot of atmosphere to the areas they're played in. To name some examples: the ninja training grounds music sounds ambient and oriental; the volcano music sounds oddly relaxing with all the calypso playing in the background; the Flying Duckman theme is very breahtaking and hauntingly ambient (one of my favorite songs in the game); and the music that plays when you bout with the Witch Doctor sounds like something a mariachi band would play (but not before a foreboding prelude commences). There are even a few songs that sound really playful in their own way while still maintaining that dark flavor. There is also one song that stands out the most to me and is the best song from the game in my mind: the Realm of the Dead. It strikes me as an ominously haunting sea shanty with an air full of eeriness, and I felt very nervous the first time I heard it. The sound effects, on the other hand, are decent. The sound of the bug bullects coming out of Maui's gun is silly, and there is even a sound effect for when you turn around on foot. Whenever your character takes a hit and/or loses a life, he makes that trademark Donald Duck "quack" sound. The sound for when Maui transforms into Cold Shadow, and vice versa, is sweet; and I enjoy the sound of the latter's bo staff whenever it hits an object or an enemy. Whenever you're swimming, the sound effects become bubbly and are then followed by echo sounds. Other sound effects are nice, too, such when a MudDrake would shout "There he is!" whenever they see you in the Test of Brotherhood level, or whenever an enemy has been vanquished.

There is one word that describe this game's visuals, and that word is gorgeous. But to say that would be a huge understatement. Maui Mallard's worlds are vibrant, colorful, detailed, and very atmospheric, plus they're all presented with that trademark Disney quality. This game has one of the best non pre-rendered visuals I've seen from an SNES title. It's got better visuals than the first ActRaiser, Cool Spot, Mr. Nutz, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, and Secret of Mana; I would even go and say that this game has better visuals than Super Metroid (which says a lot). But I digress. Each world has its own look and distinctive style, which is always nothing short of impressive. In the beginning of the ninja training grounds, the sky is very bright and cheerful, but then once the Witch Doctor appears he transforms Maui into Cold Shadow for the first time, and whenever he uses his staff, the sky will get darker and darker until the Witch Doctor vanishes and it begins to rain. I just love little details like that. The MudDrake Mayhem levels have a really neat fog effect, which gives off a lot of depth. The Sacrifice of Maui levels take place inside a volcano, and that place is entirely consumed with flowing lava that covers the whole screen and makes you feel like you're inside a volcano. The Flying Duckman levels, taking place underwater, are serene and largely take place in the sunken ship; what's eerie about it is that you can see how decrepit the ship has turned after a long time of being sunken and you can see the skeletal remains of the crew. The Realm of the Dead is pretty ominous-looking, with all the bones and the mist at the bottom, not to mention a gigantic eyeball in the background that is surveying you throughout the whole level. That's pretty eerie if you ask me. The bonus levels take place on an actual stage, with literal stage props that you can jump and bounce on. I love how the cutscenes are comprised of a blue background and show the characters' silhouettes. The character and enemy animations are fluidly detailed and well-done. Maui's running, ducking, shooting, jumping, climbing, and swimming animations are really nice to watch. The transformation sequence from Maui to Cold Shadow and vice versa is really cool, and the ninja alter ego has cool animations as well. I like how depending on how much Yin Yang power you have, Cold Shadow will have a differently-colored belt, which is a nice touch. Either forms' idle animations are cool and fun to watch, too. The characters and enemies even display a bit of over-the-top animation sometimes, which is often quite humorous. There is one moment in the MudDrake Mayhem level when Maui shrunk down to a very small size until you reach the end of that portion, and what's pretty cool is that despite his size, his animations remain fully intact. That's similar to one moment in the early PlayStation One title Rayman. The enemies look cool, too, and whenver you attack a zombie duck in the Realm of the Dead it actually decomposes the more hits it takes. The MudDrakes are also one crazy bunch, as they try to attack you by shooting poison-tipped darts and use their saw blades as yo-yos.

As far as challenge goes for this Disney-licensed title, it's decent. The levels are split off into different parts, each littered with enemies who will try to stop you in your tracks. The majority of the level designs are open-ended and complex, with a few of them being completely straightforward. In each of the areas, save for the Realm of the Dead, there will be a moment when you must fight a boss in order to progress. Many of the stages are long, so when you reach a chekc point (represented by a Mojo duck head) you don't have to worry about starting all over. This game has rather interesting ways of challenging you; one example that comes to mind is when you have to drop off each MudDrake at a safe point in an area by bungee jumping and trying your absolute best to not touch the spikes a lot, one by one. Who knows how long it must've taken for the programmers to come up with that? There are also some challenges which will have you be attentive; mostly the self-scrolling stages. In one of those areas (the Realm of the Dead) you're required to shoot every single soul stealer which will try to pry the soul of Quackoo away from you, but should just one be missed, you lose a life and must start over again; not to mention the slowly rising acidic mist which you must escape at all costs. Throughout each area there are refreshments that will either increase your health capacity for that area, and/or help replenish a portion (cup) or maximum (pitcher) health. Maui Mallard has three difficulty settings, and there's no real difference, except for one thing: the amount of health you lose. While the enemies and bosses will always take the same amount of damage before they bite the dust, you will be losing a different amount of damage depending on which difficulty setting you play. You will take far more damage in Hard mode than you will on either Easy and Normal modes. If you're not careful while fighting the Witch Doctor on the hardest difficulty setting, you will lose a life in three hits. But there is an advantage in the game which will ensure that you can beat the game on Hard mode. While you take a lot of damage when an enemy attacks you, if you intentionally collide with the enemy, you'll only lose one health point. You just have to be careful that while you take advantage of it you don't get hit by that enemy in the process, so that way you'll dish out a lot of hits towards your enemy or boss; I used this tactic to defeat the Witch Doctor on Hard mode. I don't recommend using this method throughout the whole game, otherwise you'll be having a hard time throughout the whole game. I only suggest doing it while fighting against the Witch Doctor on Hard mode. This game can either be beaten in one sitting, or it can be beaten via passwords. I don't use the passwords, really, but those that may have trouble with Maui Mallard will find themselves using them. After each level there is a bonus area, but in order to access it you have to collect as much of the treasure as you can. It's not exactly mandatory, but if you wish to enter the bonus area and get the password, you have no choice. Scattered throughout each level is treasure, so a good thorough look in each area is highly advised. After each level, you will be shown a screen with two percentages: Luau Loot and Loot Found. If you found more loot than the Luau Loot, you'll get an "Admit One Duck" ticket to the bonus area Babaluau Baby. Here's the thing about the passwords: you have to earn them. In each bonus area, you must light up six rockets either on top of a sun or a moon prop before time runs out; since the setup is huge, you will have to bounce on star props and jump from cloud props. You'll also get a chance to collect a few exctra lives should you find them. This game has unlimited continues, which is quite helpful at times.

What can I say about Maui Mallard? It's fun, it's immersive, it's dark, it's crazy, and it perhaps holds the most wacky environment from a DIsney Interactive game I've seen (before Epic Mickey came out, that is). The visuals are spectacular and present a good amount of atmosphere, not to mention the over-the-top animation is a big plus in my book. The soundtrack works so well for this game, and the controls are spot-on, save for the jumping controls. Switching between Maui Mallard and Cold Shadow is a very innovative concept, and something I enjoy doing a lot. The areas are well-constructed and designed, and I like how each area tries to challenge you. It just boggles my mind how the bungee jumping challenge was actually implemented in this game. The cutscenes were enthralling, and fun to watch. The boss battles were cool, even the one with the Witch Doctor. Now I know that the strategy I shared in defeating him on Hard mode may seem a bit cheap, but to those readers out there that have played this game and beaten it, let me ask you something: how can you possibly dodge his fume attacks with precise timing and not take damage from them? It's a strategy that I found out incidently, and it worked out so well in the end, though it will take a bit of time to get the hang of that. The enemies are a great bunch, though I have to say that I absolutely loathe the fly enemies. When I played it on the PC when I was little, I thought it was a pretty good experience, and when I played it on the SNES, I found it to be better than ever. It's not perfect, but it's fun. The ending was humorous, and pretty good, too. It's just a shame that it did not get a follow-up. It had so much potential for a sequel, but the ending implied that there was going to one, only it never happened. But, oh, well, Maui Mallard is a good game, and I like the challenge it offers. This is one game that will take a bit of perseverence to get through. If you wish to experience a Disney title with ninja elements, then this is the game for you.